Cool discovery center. Great for ages 1-99. Lots of cool animals (I didn't take any pics tho,…read moresorry!). They have a rabbit, snakes, turtles, tortoises, fish, and even a tarantula (not my favorite). My daughter and I went for a birthday party and we had the place to ourselves. I was very surprised at how big the animal exhibit area was. Lots of things to learn about, watch, and discuss. The floor to ceiling windows overlooking the prairie land was wonderful. We were there in early December and winter birds were happily flying back and forth to the feeders and enjoying themselves. We will definitely be going back!!! It was a little hard to find because it's VERY deep into the property but not impossible to find. Just keep driving and you'll get there.

I went to Hickory Knolls Discovery Center for a wedding. It was a very pretty space with indoor and…read moreoutdoor options. They were originally supposed to have the wedding outside, but it was raining, so they weren't able to do that. Personally, I thought brining the wedding inside made it even better! They have displays and little exhibits talking about the wild life in the area. The space is open which left a ton of room for dancing and just interacting. The pictures outside were very pretty as there was a lot of greenery to work with.

This was such a cute outing with our friends! Our toddlers had a lot of fun walking around and…read moreseeing all the animals, as well as playing at the park. There was a splash pad too, but we didn't make it that far unfortunately. You could easily spend a couple of hours here! Good suburbs gem

The animals are visible and cared for . We saw staff taking care of the animals, the enclosure…read morelooked clean, some animals were off site for the season but enough for my toddler to enjoy.

Friendly people/staff Although the llamas spit a lot :) its a good time for toddlers!!read more

Such a fun little find!! This is a zoo, a park, a little history lesson and an overall great place…read moreto visit!! Best part, FREE!! Now, this is not a huge zoo, but man do they pack a lot of love into a little spot. Food selection of animals, very friendly staff and cute well maintained facilities! Then, there are multiple large parks on site!! Perfect picnic spot for place for large family gatherings!

I've been here multiple times with my family. It's a nice small zoo, but the first time I've been…read morehere with the new setup this year. If you're in the area and you need a place to bring your little ones highly recommend. We can at bad time while it was lunch time and the workers needed a break but always a good walk as a parent and a lot to see.

This is a cute little zoo that's best for kids under 5. It's very small and takes less than an hour…read moreto go through if your kids are older. I'm docking a few stars because they let way too many people into the petting zoo area at one time, especially when they only have a few goats to pet. I also docked a star because the walk over to the playground and picnic table area is unnecessarily long because they have the shortcut path blocked off.

A very clean smaller zoo. Kids are free and adults cost $12 each. If you are in the area it might…read morebe worth checking out! This is a good zoo to checkout with small children. There's coyotes, deer, cows, horse, llama, goats, chickens, and ducks. It's a little unclear if you can pet anything as the signs say "we bite." Does that mean pet at your own risk? I just assumed don't do it at all. It also wasn't clear if you could feed any of the animals outside a 30 min window that was listed on a flyer hung up.

Small zoo in the suburb of Chicago that offers free admissions in December. Kids can spend about an…read morehour or so to check out all the different animals, from chicken and rabbits, to racoons, llama, and Canada lynx. The newest additions are 2 coyotes. The lights turn on at 3PM. They also sell Christmas tree and weaths in December.

I took an injured bird I found in my yard there. They heal many types of animals. It is a great…read morecommunity resource.

Agree with Rob H. This place is so sad now. It used to be among our top five favorite places, but…read morethey need to tear down that waste-of-space building and make the full-grown trees and nature come back right now! We don't need more strip-mall crap! We need trees, flowers, grasses, meadows, creek, and pond. This place used to have them all, but now you might as well go to chucky cheese.

We came here for the Autumn Fair (September 20, 2025). It was a free event with a lot of fun…read moreactivities: hay rides, kids games, pumpkin painting, demonstrations. They also had other activities for a small cost: pony rides, petting zoo, bounce house. We also purchased food and participated in the gift basket raffle. We were there for at least 3 hours. The park is great for kids older than 4. There's also a water area that is fun for both older and younger kids. The butterfly house was also a hit. Many butterflies landed on us while we were in there. Overall a great place to visit, definitely stop by as well when an event is going on for extra activities.

Star gazing at Peck Farm Park was so interesting. Saw Jupiter and four of its moons. The moon was…read morealso spectacular! The astronomy club has outreached on Saturday of every month, weather permitting. Great experience.

It's always so much fun going to the zoo. This is one of the more bigger shoes here in Chicago. And…read moreI think it's the first time I've been here again in like 8 years. I was so happy that I was able to experience feeding the giraffes and that they actually feed them a whole Leaf of lettuce it's a bit of a on the pricey side $15 you get about half of a bunch of lettuce but to be able to feed them the whole Leaf it was amazing because other places you would only get like strips of carrots. We were there a bit early and so most if not some of the animals were all out and that was so nice to see so I did enjoy it a lot. The only downside was the food the food trucks were closed and so the only choice we had was the outdoor one in the cafeteria until we did choose the outdoor one and the line wasn't even that long but the two boys that were there I guess they were new and it was a part-time thing it was so disorganized that we waited almost an hour for our food. The food was okay for Zoo food but I would eat it again it's just the long wait. But this suit was amazing I highly recommend feeding the giraffes I wish they also offered more animal encounters like feeding the goats and whatnot but I would definitely be coming back. Happy exploring!

Having visited zoos in various parts of the USA, I would rate Brookfield Zoo somewhere in the…read moremiddle. It has both strong and weak points. The wide scope of their collection is impressive. The newer and recently refurbished habitats, particularly Tropic World, The Living Coast and The Swamp, display animals in remarkably naturalistic settings that have been enhanced and updated through the years. I visit Brookfield Zoo maybe every 5 or 6 years, and what frustrates me the most is the significant percentage of attractions that always seem to be closed for renovation. Or, for whatever reason, some categories of animals might not be available for public viewing. How odd that this zoo has not had any elephants since 2010 (also, they no longer breed baboons). During our most recent visit, roughly one-third of the attractions were unavailable and some of the public areas appeared neglected, e.g. cracked pavement and uninspired landscaping. The Roosevelt Fountain centerpiece may look impressive from the air, but at ground level the tall weed-like growth pretty much obscures the view. By comparison, the flora at the Milwaukee Zoo is more attractive. A long-overdue overhaul of food services was completed since my previous visit. Graze Kitchen offers a varied menu which includes - surprise! - healthy options. A chicken salad wrap, although not cheap, was actually one of the better meals I've experienced at a zoo. But this venue should have been centrally located; instead, it's an arduously long hike from any entrance gate. Other options, albeit with limited menus heavy on junk food, are more accessible. Outside vendors include The Original Rainbow Cone, which has two food trucks stationed inside the park this summer (ask for directions). The gift shops with their generous play areas for children are very inviting. Although subsidized by tax dollars and private donations, this zoo is expensive. Parking runs $17-$20 on top of admission, which ranges from $24 to $33 (much of the pavement is in deplorable condition). Once inside the park, there are additional fees for special attractions such as the butterflies, the dolphin show, and the Hamill Family Play Zoo. Scooter rental costs $35. Considering that portions of the park are in less-than-pristine condition and several attractions might be closed for whatever reason, the cost of spending a day here is excessive. We rode on the 30-minute Motor Safari tour ($6). We had hoped this tour would include the furthest reaches of the park, but the route was shorter than we anticipated. The aging trams put out a noxious exhaust; replacement with battery-powered vehicles is long overdue. Moreover, the tour guide misinformed visitors by stating that camel humps contain water. Egad, no, they contain fatty tissue (Google it)! Given the great distances that have to be covered on foot, I think it would make much more sense to replace the Safari tour with shuttles that operate on a fixed route every 15-20 minutes, with step-on/step off stations throughout the park (included in the admission price).

We had the best time visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo during our visit to Chicago. Our son loves…read moregorillas so we were so excited that he was able to see them! The zoo is well maintained with excellent exhibits. We enjoyed seeing all the animals. We spent 3 hours and got to see so much. They also have several places to eat or grab snacks. We had such a great time!

Lincoln Park Zoo is a good free zoo. I've only been to... 2? 3? zoos. I can compare it with St…read more Louis, which isn't fair. Instead, the best of the things I saw. Variety of animals: Decent Favorite buidling: The bird house had a few species per exhibit Improvement needed: Penny flattening machine was not working and needed an out of order sign/service Best animal exhibit: Giraffes and zebras are together and something about the staging made the giraffes really "pop" Honorable mention: Lions (easier to see these lions than the lions at the St. Louis Zoo) I saw a number of signs about exhibits being empty of occupants because of animals sometimes needing privacy. We didn't see the farm area. One of my companions ordered a Chicago (hot) dog and seemed to like it.

Wow! Just WOW! First time in and was treated like a Queen. I was casually browsing the deli…read moreselection - yes- fresh human looking food but for pets and a gentleman who worked there took me on a tour. I saw the grooming space, run around room for pets and the retail space. They've put so much thought into this experience. Wide aisles so human and pets with humans have room to shop, a separate entrance for those who are a little more fearful or stressed and want to bypass the shopping and head straight into the salon, and I can't say enough about the staff! They know their products, love pets and have master's degrees in customer service. I left with 2 toys and a bully stick for my Yorkie Bo - wish I was going straight home so I could get some of the fresh food and super cool cakes.

Went here to check out the selection for dog food and their self service grooming suites and bark…read moreroom. I just want to say wow... This business thought of everything. They don't have stuff like this east - we're spoiled to have a one stop shop for food, treats, toys, fun apparel ... grooming and room rental. My Naperville friends are jealous! Excited to come here once we get our puppy.